Merseyside Police’s present chief constable, Jon Murphy, was a PC at the time of the Toxteth riots. Here he recalls the role of the Operation Support Division:

WE WERE the reserve which was brought out to try and relieve the pressure on the police who were behind the shields. Most of them were young lads, in a uniform, in shock. They were stood behind the riot shields.

We would form behind them at a point. An instruction would be given and bear in mind we didn’t have mobile phones then [and] the radios didn’t work as well . . . the line would part.

I remember one night in particular. We were on Upper Parliament Street. There was a line across Upper Parliament Street facing towards Smithdown Road and a bit would be at the end of Grove Street junction – Grove Street, I think it’s Kingsley Road the other side.

The Wootton Centre is a bit farther up on the right, and it was the night the dairy was broken into, and all of this stuff was coming over on fire. There was a huge group gathered there, and the instruction we were given was to go and disperse that group of people.

The shield line split.

We came out with the vehicles. There were probably three or four other Land Rovers with us, and a couple of personnel carriers – so maybe 20 of us.

I was actually the acting Sergeant in the group, because my Sergeant had been injured.